Opinion: City of Culture? Sheffield is already that, whatever a panel of judges decides
City has always been at the cultural vanguard, and still is
So Sheffield is now on the shortlist of four, in the contest to become the UK City of Culture 2029.
Those of us who live in the city know all about the vibrant cultural scene we have here. It’s been here for generations.
Just take a walk around the city, and the culture is there for all to see. Look at the walls for instance. We have huge, oversized murals adorning the city like a vast art gallery.
Take a look. The sheer variety of those along is fantastic, with the talent of city artists Pete McKee, Phlegm and Peachzz an inspiring sight. This is something we can trace back years, back to the steelworker mural near Snig Hill.
Delve a little deeper, and you probably stumble across a bar with a singer or a band. There’s no shortage of these across the city, either in the city centre or in the neighbourhoods that make up our city.
For every Human League or Arctic Monkeys who made it big, there have been scores of other performers.
While there are the big names, the city has also produced fantastic cult performers like the Everly Pregnant Brothers, hugely popular locally for their distinctive sound; and comedy singer John Shuttleworth.
And as times change, Sheffield’s creative types have moved with them.
Look at Steve Bracknall. The character, created by Sheffield comedian Chris McClure, has taken the internet by storm, with the nation loving the goings-on at his fictional pub team Royal Oak. Where else does a football match between two fiction teams, playing in a fictional football competition, sell out?
Thousands paid to watch Royal Oak against Nags Head at Sheffield FC’s ground in Dronfield, including many internet personalities.
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And that brings us to Sheffield’s unique football culture. As the city where the oldest club in the world was formed in 1857, our city is regarded as the cradle of football, the most popular sport in the world. Thanks for the organisation Sheffield Home of Football, our streets are punctuated with blue plaques marking some of the city’s globally historically significant soccer spots.
So really, whatever a panel of judges may decide in the coming weeks and months, we already ARE the city of culture.
Will we be named as that by the judges? My feeling based on the past is that those who make the decisions with arts money have historically tended to ignore us.
For instance, when details of Arts Council grants issued across the country for 2023-26 were published in 2022, Sheffield was given just a tiny fraction of what given to other big cities.
Per head of population, Manchester was awarded seven times more money than Sheffield, based on 2021 census figures.
While Sheffield’s grants amounted to £6.23 per head of population (£3.47m in total), Manchester was paid £44.41 per head (£24.5m).
Leeds was paid nearly six times more than Sheffield per head, with £35.65 per person (£28.9m in total).
Despite this, Sheffield is still a cultural giant.
So if anywhere deserves that City of Culture title and status, it’s our city.